I spent years trying to get my bass guitars---both fretted and fretless, to sound more like a double bass with not much success. I always put it down to the double bass having a much longer scale length. Then along comes the uke bass and blows my theory out of the water!
What a wonderful bass comparison video! My favorite by far is the beautiful Nik West signature model. I think I NEED one of those as well - even though I never even tried playing bass yet. :-) Most importantly, thank you so much for taking the time to demo them all.
Thank You for the lovely comment Uke Canduet (such a cool name). Yes, I love the Nik West sound too and so nice to play. One of my favourite sayings - "Why do you NEED it? To get rid of the feeling of want!" LOL
@@UkuleleWalesjust a tip on those Uke Bass if you don’t already know or have tried it, a little talcum powder on your plucking hand gets rid of a lot of that tacky string feel and the sticky sound. Like to know if you try it. Love the Warwick with dead flatwound sound!! a sounds Motown James Jameson. Would like to see you post more blues, rock patterns and riff you use lessons.
The Bass Guitar was originally designed to replace the Upright Bass because it's smaller and much easier to carry. Also they have Frets (although some fretless basses have handy guidelines) which add precision to the intonation so that it's easier to play in tune. It even sounds bigger and punchier than an average Upright Bass when hooked up to the amp, so it really cuts through the recording. All that said they also made (they still do it today) Electric Upright Basses are also easier to carry because of their more compact shape. These Basses use Steel Core Upright Bass Strings amplified by a Radiused Magnetic Pickup, the result was that it sounded like an amplified Upright Bass without the Feedback. Alot of people didn't realize that the very 1st Bass Guitar that Paul Tutmark invented was indeed a Fretless Bass, basically a Scaled down Electrified Upright Bass morphed into a Guitar. 5 years later they added frets to it, and the Fretless Bass died out, until some instrument companies (like Ampeg), and Musicians (most notably Jaco Pastorius and Sting both who used Roundwounds on a Fretless Bass) started to bring the Fretless Bass back home.
I would really like to thank you for your videos, they've helped me tremendously. I have dedicated my life to music and it is honestly my reason to keep going. Unfortunately, playing for multiple hours a day every day for years on end has left me with some bad repetetive strain injuries in both hands which i've been dealing with for long enough now. Since this started, I have taken up playing the lap steel but even that can be challenging for my hands. It also doesn't satisfy my need for bass. But thanks to your videos, I've learnt a lot about these uke basses and decided to try one since they're light and have such soft strings. So far touch wood, I seem to be able to play it in short bursts. I love bass. I mean, REALLY love bass. I love many instruments but bass really does just have a special kind of resonance with me. At just 25 years old I sure as hell do not want to give up on the single greatest thing life can give and you've helped me find a bit more hope when that's something I'm really struggling with right now. I also used to do a bit of teaching and I actually decided that it might well be a direction I'd like to go in career wise. You certainly have the skill set of an excellent teacher. Hopefully I'll be able to play full time and get back to teaching some day. You are absolutely awesome and I can't possibly overstate my gratitude to you. Your simple decision to educate people on such a strange and quirky instrument has done more for me than I bet you imagined it would do for anybody.
Thank You so much for such a lovely comment! I am so glad that you are finding a way to continue your passion of playing bass. As someone who had to retire from playing double bass full time due to medical issues I certainly have huge sympathy, and yes, I never imagined bass uke would have such a positive impact on my own life and just very grateful that I can help others too with such an awesome little instrument.
I feel your pain as I have rheumatoid arthritis with swollen knuckles. The u bass is light and gives me the standup bass sound. I agree that music is one the best things in life and I always hope to be able to make it.
Thanks so much for making this - liked and subscribed. I recently moved away from playing standard scale fretted / fretless basses (acoustic and electric) as the ones I had were relatively cheap and 2nd hand and had defects not worth repairing vs an upgrade. I wanted to play with more comfort if I could still get a good sound. So I bought a limited edition 90's Ashbory fretless., and I am so happy with the sound and relative ease to play that I not regret it. I planned to buy a Kala ubass as my first after the standard scale basses I owned. But I saw the Ashbory for sale and had to have it! I still going to buy a Kala acoustic fretted, and plan to buy a solid body kala fretted too. You're an excellent musician. I can't play a fretless without looking at my finger positioning frequently (yet). I notice you don't do that at all. I have always loved the fretless sound since I was a teen and heard Paul Simons Graceland album, and a selection of 80's pop. My first buy was a 5 string fretless cort bass - and despite how dificult it was, startign on that it was worth it. After using that a few years or so I was glad to pick up a cort acoustic fretted 4 string, and then a p-bass, which sounded great but all were not comfy to play, especially the p-bass. I never really used the B string on my fretless Cort as I could not find much 5 string tab for what I like to play. So with all this in mind, your video is so useful to me.
Thank You for such a lovely comment, also it is really nice to hear your story. I've never actually played an Ashbory but have always been fascinated by them, such an interesting instrument. I also LOVE the Graceland bass line, just incredible playing and very much under the radar in terms of bassists. Keep going with the fretless and please feel free to ask any questions.
Great to hear all the different sounds. I currently have a Warwick Streamer and Musicman Sterling and am looking for something small to travel with. I found myself smiling back at you after each guitar 😊
Nice basses Bassbarbie. Take a look at my Fanner Pee wee review as it's just like a mini P bass and lovely to play. Also Flight mini bass and Tiny Boy Basses are cool if you are used to full scale and like the magnetic pick-ups combo.
Thanks Steve. I have to admit, I LOVE playing the Nik West, the sound is lush but it's just a treat to play. I have a matching cello for the bass, we used to have a 15 piece matching electric string orchestra.
Great show, Rachel. Looks like I'm gonna have to dust off my old electric bass now. There's a distinct difference in quality of tone between the fretless and fretted basses. It's quite noticeable, and I prefer the fretless sound - I'm not sure I could handle the finger placement at my advanced age (I'm almost 60) and finger arthritis.
Rock on Tobias, you know you need the bass groove! LOL Yes, totally agree, I much prefer playing fretless and the sound. It is a bit more difficult with the listening but playing fretless is much easier on the fingers I find.
I am impressed with your videos...how do I get started on playing the bass ukulele. ..I can play the ukulele and have thought of learning finger picking on the ukulele. But I decided to to change and learn the bass ukulele.
Hi Reginal, not sure if you have got a bass yet. I’d start with trying to learn the names of the notes so you can play along with uke charts. Check out the Bass Ukulele Lesson series, give me a shout if you get stuck. 👍
That Electric Upright Bass is a Bridge Cetus, and with Daddario Medium Tension 3/4 Size Helicore Orchestral Upright Bass Strings, you'll get a really good punch.
Indeed it is. I've had the double bass about 15 years and have the matching cello. I've wanted one scince I first saw them when they came out originally in the 90s. Great instruments.
@@UkuleleWales The Electric Bass was originally made to replace the Upright Bass because it's easier to carry, & also it has more punch as the Double Bass is acoustically compromised like the Viola (i.e. the body has been scaled down to make it more playable so it's smaller than optimum for those low notes).
You can use XT coated GS Mini Bass Strings on the Bass Ukuleles as Metal Wound strings cause they're Nylon wound in Phosphor Bronze. The ball ends make restringing a snap.
Fantastic comparison of range of tones from different basses. Must be influenced somewhat by settings on each bass, but great display of different tools for different jobs. Still impressed by the U-basses. Obviously best with your workhorse fretless corvette!
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed. yes, totally agree, even with all settings as flat as possible, instruments will ultimately sound different, different amps, recording etc. Love my fretless work horse, just lush to play.
It is easy to hear the difference between rubber strings, round wound strings and flat wound strings. I prefer the flat wounds. I changed the strings of my Kala Journeyman to flat wound strings from Gallistrings.
I agree. It is quite easy to recognise the string noises that emanate from the rubber-stringed instruments. I both like them and sometimes dislike them for that reason. Araknalam, did the flatwounds push your u-bass in the direction of sounding like a straight-forward electric bass? Some may actually like that I suppose. I do think the flats sound cleaner and nicer to play. But I took up the uke to have an old-school, jazz sounding bass. So wouldn't want to lose that sound completely. If you ever read this: do you think you can still get something like that more old school jazz sound with the Galli flats on your Journeyman bass? Or did you simply leave the whole "upright" sound thing behind with the change of strings?
Some of the rubber strings can sound quite sticky, generally the cheaper ones. The sparkly Kala as round wound strings and the Warwicks have metal strings so again sound very different. Some of the other Aquila bass strings don’t sound “sticky” at all eg. Thunderbrowns and Thunderblacks. 👍
Yes I use a bass amp, the Warwick CCL 250 watts. Kala have now brought out a new solid body mini bass even more like a bass guitar with magnetic pickups. 👍
The bass guitars sound much cleaner than the ukes. Do you think this may be modified with different amp settings? I'm a bit disappointed with that extra noise. I am thinking about starting on a bass and I would much rather play a uke bass, as I love my regular ukes so much. Well, maybe I will try a cheap one first...
Fair comments there. This was made a while ago and the audio on my videos has definitely improved so it might be worth you checking out some of my more recent bass uke videos and hopefully you’ll notice the bass ukes sounding better. Also, the metal strings / magnetic pick ups do have a very different sound compared to the rubber strings and piezo pickups, not necessarily better but certainly different. 👍
I love playing the bass with the rubber strings because they don’t hurt my fingers. I’m up there in age and I’m just playing the bass now my only problem is the ringing. is there also a bass guitar electric? With rubber strings.
Totally understand the strings are much easier on the fingers. There is a slightly larger 25” scale bass made by Goldtone. I don’t know of any full scale basses with the rubber strings sorry.
Thanks Sha, I don't play the double bass much these days but had a 13 piece electric string orch with all matching bridge instruments. The Nik west, well I just love. I really like the sound of the Daisy Rock but it's a bugger to play! Hope you and family are all keeping well. xx
Great video! Please could you list the strings used on each instrument? The bass I really really want doesn't exist yet. I want a mini upright bass strung with ubass strings. Would be very cute. However these don't appear to exist yet so I'm trying to work out how to make one, and making an upright bass isn't the easiest thing in the world.
Love the idea of a mini upright with ubass strings. I've played many pog or stick basses but not a real mini double bass - 1/4 is the smallest I have and that has "normal" bass strings.. On bass guitars I use Rotosound On double bass I use D'Addario California U-Bass has Kala roundwound strings on it The other bass ukuleles are all Aquila Thunderguts Hope this helps.
Ye I have a Austin P bass made in korea and it is also massively heavy but i'm a very big guy so it's not so bad for me. I think it's more than 5 kilos sounds great though action is a bit high though.
@@UkuleleWales Yeah ive got it as low as i can go currently without buzz, I think teh frets are just too worn in some spots to have it as low as id like. But it's perfectly playable.
It is an awesome bass, my workhorse bass for gigging. I have looked at a short scale but I think I'll stick with full bass and bass uke, it's confusing enough remember the scale! Thanks Jason
i think for my first bass i go with the Harley Benton Beatbass with flatwounds i just love the vilion shape basses and its also shortscale which sould it make i bit easier to learn for me
So my ears are new to the sound of basses but what I could recognize was the sound of the thick white strings (don't know the material). The thing I don’t understand is what makes the difference between fretted and fretless basses? The only thing I can imagine is that it needs more experience to grab the correct note (tone) as I don't have frets that show me where it should be. Is there any other main difference between the two?
Great question and well done on hearing the rubber / polyurethane (white strings). The fretted instruments have raised frets so basically if you playing within the fret you will be in tune whereas on a fretless, you need to play in the right spot (normally on the line if there is one) and there is a lot less room for error. Listening and reacting if you hear yourself out of tune is the main difference actually playing fretless.
@@UkuleleWales Thank you for your answer. In the meantime I ordered a used u-bass - Kala Exotic Mahagony. And then I will follow all of your bass tutorial. Looking very much forward to these lessons. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I listened through my bluetooth headphones and was totally surprised by how well the bass ukes compared! I may have missed it, but did you play all of the basses through the same amp? I’d never have predicted it, but I actually think your Kala fretless u-bass gives the double bass some competition. l loved the sound of your Warwicks (specifically the ones with roundwounds), but YIPES--I'd prefer never to have to tote all that weight! U-basses for health and happiness, all the way! Burning question: What is the purpose of the wrap thingie on Nic’s headstock and over the nut? It's not a tennis wrist/sweat band, is it? Ha ha! And thank you for an absolutely fascinating demonstration!
Thanks Jules, yes they really need to be heard on good headphones or decent speakers to really appreciate them. The weight on the Warwicks....... they are stunning to play, not so much carrying around! LOL The wrap thing is called a Fretwrap and dampen the sound of open ringing strings a bit. I do actually have a Nik West one on order but the one in the vid is just normal purple. I think I use small for bass ukes. gruvgear.com/products/fretwraps
Your two purple bass ukuleles I think sound better than the acoustic-bodied bass ukuleles. The Kala sounds better than the Horse. The Nick West is really nice. There is a slight difference between the bass ukuleles and your full-sized basses. You don't play each instrument the same it seems like with the fuller-sized basses you are able to get a cleaner smoother sound also faster than with those big fat strings on the ukulele basses.
Glad you enjoyed and agree, some very different sounds there. it was actually quuite difficult to swap between all the different sizes and scales so quickly so that might also explain some of the differences.
the daisy one looks so ridiculous XD its almost like me when I am drawing a tree and I am like oops it looks like a lollipop rather than tree.. I think same must have happened here.. they couldnt get it to look graceful enough so in their desperate attempt they went for a heart shape but its huge! xD Really contemplating whether or not i need the aklot bass ..
LOL I have to admit, I do like the Heart Daisy Rock bass. Daisy Rock actually made a few different shaped guitars and basses aimed particularly at girls, hence the sparkling colours and different shapes. They were quite popular at the time and not bad overall quality.
@@UkuleleWales Oh right. I know I have no problem people liking what I dont like. Some people try to control what people like but that body on that thing is just too huge for my liking.. then again the wonderful 6 string bass that I got from gear4musics body is not heavy enough so the neck goes down if not held .. Since I started to play ukulele I have reduced the amounts of guitars I have not that they are bad but some are just unplayed .. Its really interesting how a little cute ukulele instrument can change everything around.. And consider myself more of a ukulele player than a guitarist these days! But I dont mind. I just wish had discovered ukuleles before I wanted to get htat and that guitar xD
Thanks Yuri. The Gold warwick, I won in a competition, the 3 corvettes, one is fretted, one fretless is my working bass and I had custom built and the other fretless is a standard corvette (not $$) and is much light in weight and I'm hoping to have it repainted one day (I bought it as a bargain). Hope that explains. May I ask, what does HMW mean?
You have the same decibel meter as That Pedal Show. Do you ever hit triple digits with it? (They do.) It seems from your demos and those of others that the U-bass with roundwound strings is very intolerant of sloppy technique in either hand. Every little finger drag or fret click just jumps out. That's a shame because I really like the tone but I don't like the added noise relative to any of your normal electric basses.
Hi, yes same decibel meter as TPS (love those guys) and yes, I have hit the 103/104 mark very occasionally! Agree, there can be some extra sounds from the the Kala roundwound strings but this isn't someting I often notice. Not my finest playing in this video mind as I was swapping between so many instruments and wasn't really doing any tweaking of tones in between all the basses. Not making excuses, just explaining.
@@UkuleleWales If it was just your video that had this characteristic, I'd accept your explanation. But it's not, _every_ demo I've watched demonstrates the extra noise, no matter who is playing the instrument. If they have clean technique, it mitigates but does not eliminate the problem, but at that point it will fall into the range of noise you'd expect from a P-bass or J-bass.
Hi, I haven't personally tried either amp but have 2 small Hartke amps that are great. I like the tilt back feature of the Red Sub and a line out (if you ever want to go through a PA) but the Hartke seems to have a better EQ option which might work well for the bass uke. Sorry I can't be more specific but not playing means it's difficult to tell. Personally, if I had to choose on the spot I'd go for the Hartke just because I know the brand and Hartke does have a fairly good reputation for bass gear but that's as far as I can advise. let me know what you go for and what you think of it please.
Well the double bass managed well for a few hundred years and in terms os acoustically played, try sitting in a double bass section of 10 basses - you definitely do not need any more. 😉 Inevitable though once electric instruments started to be played the bass electric version would follow soon.
@@UkuleleWales Having 10 Bassists in an Orchestra helped boost the Bass but you'd need more Bassists if you have a String Orchestra or a Double Sized Orchestra
@@UkuleleWales Actually the Electric Bass was originally made to replace the Double Bass because the Double Bass is Acoustically Compromised like the Viola in that it's scaled down far in size from the optimal size that would be appropriate for the low notes, so the Pickups helped work around that issue
@@RockStarOscarStern634 I have played in many many full sized symphony orchestras and you certainly don't need more than 10 double basses, that is more than enough for sound balance.
I spent years trying to get my bass guitars---both fretted and fretless, to sound more like a double bass with not much success. I always put it down to the double bass having a much longer scale length. Then along comes the uke bass and blows my theory out of the water!
I know it’s mad isn’t it. 👍
What a wonderful bass comparison video! My favorite by far is the beautiful Nik West signature model. I think I NEED one of those as well - even though I never even tried playing bass yet. :-) Most importantly, thank you so much for taking the time to demo them all.
I could listen to you play bass all day. Great video as usual, thanks Rachel
Thank You for the lovely comment Uke Canduet (such a cool name). Yes, I love the Nik West sound too and so nice to play. One of my favourite sayings - "Why do you NEED it? To get rid of the feeling of want!" LOL
Thank You Mike, such a lovely thing to hear said.
@@UkuleleWalesjust a tip on those Uke Bass if you don’t already know or have tried it, a little talcum powder on your plucking hand gets rid of a lot of that tacky string feel and the sticky sound. Like to know if you try it. Love the Warwick with dead flatwound sound!! a sounds Motown James Jameson. Would like to see you post more blues, rock patterns and riff you use lessons.
The Bass Guitar was originally designed to replace the Upright Bass because it's smaller and much easier to carry. Also they have Frets (although some fretless basses have handy guidelines) which add precision to the intonation so that it's easier to play in tune. It even sounds bigger and punchier than an average Upright Bass when hooked up to the amp, so it really cuts through the recording. All that said they also made (they still do it today) Electric Upright Basses are also easier to carry because of their more compact shape. These Basses use Steel Core Upright Bass Strings amplified by a Radiused Magnetic Pickup, the result was that it sounded like an amplified Upright Bass without the Feedback. Alot of people didn't realize that the very 1st Bass Guitar that Paul Tutmark invented was indeed a Fretless Bass, basically a Scaled down Electrified Upright Bass morphed into a Guitar. 5 years later they added frets to it, and the Fretless Bass died out, until some instrument companies (like Ampeg), and Musicians (most notably Jaco Pastorius and Sting both who used Roundwounds on a Fretless Bass) started to bring the Fretless Bass back home.
Thanks Oscar, you obviously know your stuff.
I would really like to thank you for your videos, they've helped me tremendously. I have dedicated my life to music and it is honestly my reason to keep going. Unfortunately, playing for multiple hours a day every day for years on end has left me with some bad repetetive strain injuries in both hands which i've been dealing with for long enough now. Since this started, I have taken up playing the lap steel but even that can be challenging for my hands. It also doesn't satisfy my need for bass. But thanks to your videos, I've learnt a lot about these uke basses and decided to try one since they're light and have such soft strings. So far touch wood, I seem to be able to play it in short bursts. I love bass. I mean, REALLY love bass. I love many instruments but bass really does just have a special kind of resonance with me. At just 25 years old I sure as hell do not want to give up on the single greatest thing life can give and you've helped me find a bit more hope when that's something I'm really struggling with right now. I also used to do a bit of teaching and I actually decided that it might well be a direction I'd like to go in career wise. You certainly have the skill set of an excellent teacher. Hopefully I'll be able to play full time and get back to teaching some day. You are absolutely awesome and I can't possibly overstate my gratitude to you. Your simple decision to educate people on such a strange and quirky instrument has done more for me than I bet you imagined it would do for anybody.
Thank You so much for such a lovely comment! I am so glad that you are finding a way to continue your passion of playing bass. As someone who had to retire from playing double bass full time due to medical issues I certainly have huge sympathy, and yes, I never imagined bass uke would have such a positive impact on my own life and just very grateful that I can help others too with such an awesome little instrument.
I feel your pain as I have rheumatoid arthritis with swollen knuckles. The u bass is light and gives me the standup bass sound. I agree that music is one the best things in life and I always hope to be able to make it.
They each have their own unique and wonderful sounds 😊
Thanks so much for making this - liked and subscribed. I recently moved away from playing standard scale fretted / fretless basses (acoustic and electric) as the ones I had were relatively cheap and 2nd hand and had defects not worth repairing vs an upgrade. I wanted to play with more comfort if I could still get a good sound. So I bought a limited edition 90's Ashbory fretless., and I am so happy with the sound and relative ease to play that I not regret it. I planned to buy a Kala ubass as my first after the standard scale basses I owned. But I saw the Ashbory for sale and had to have it! I still going to buy a Kala acoustic fretted, and plan to buy a solid body kala fretted too. You're an excellent musician. I can't play a fretless without looking at my finger positioning frequently (yet). I notice you don't do that at all. I have always loved the fretless sound since I was a teen and heard Paul Simons Graceland album, and a selection of 80's pop. My first buy was a 5 string fretless cort bass - and despite how dificult it was, startign on that it was worth it. After using that a few years or so I was glad to pick up a cort acoustic fretted 4 string, and then a p-bass, which sounded great but all were not comfy to play, especially the p-bass. I never really used the B string on my fretless Cort as I could not find much 5 string tab for what I like to play. So with all this in mind, your video is so useful to me.
Thank You for such a lovely comment, also it is really nice to hear your story. I've never actually played an Ashbory but have always been fascinated by them, such an interesting instrument. I also LOVE the Graceland bass line, just incredible playing and very much under the radar in terms of bassists. Keep going with the fretless and please feel free to ask any questions.
Great to hear all the different sounds. I currently have a Warwick Streamer and Musicman Sterling and am looking for something small to travel with. I found myself smiling back at you after each guitar 😊
Nice basses Bassbarbie. Take a look at my Fanner Pee wee review as it's just like a mini P bass and lovely to play. Also Flight mini bass and Tiny Boy Basses are cool if you are used to full scale and like the magnetic pick-ups combo.
this was really good, just what I needed before buying a bass, loved the Nik West, thank you so much Rachel.
Glad it was helpful! Yes, the Nik West is a real beauty, Thanks
That upright looks really cool! I think the Nik West surprised me the most by how great it sounds!
Thanks Steve. I have to admit, I LOVE playing the Nik West, the sound is lush but it's just a treat to play. I have a matching cello for the bass, we used to have a 15 piece matching electric string orchestra.
3:50 Fretless Bass Strung w/ Roundwound Strings, Jaco Pastorius was known for that.
Yes, I’m a great Jaco fan! 😎
@@UkuleleWales This is that vibe
Great show, Rachel. Looks like I'm gonna have to dust off my old electric bass now. There's a distinct difference in quality of tone between the fretless and fretted basses. It's quite noticeable, and I prefer the fretless sound - I'm not sure I could handle the finger placement at my advanced age (I'm almost 60) and finger arthritis.
Rock on Tobias, you know you need the bass groove! LOL
Yes, totally agree, I much prefer playing fretless and the sound. It is a bit more difficult with the listening but playing fretless is much easier on the fingers I find.
I am impressed with your videos...how do I get started on playing the bass ukulele. ..I can play the ukulele and have thought of learning finger picking on the ukulele. But I decided to to change and learn the bass ukulele.
Hi Reginal, not sure if you have got a bass yet. I’d start with trying to learn the names of the notes so you can play along with uke charts. Check out the Bass Ukulele Lesson series, give me a shout if you get stuck. 👍
That Electric Upright Bass is a Bridge Cetus, and with Daddario Medium Tension 3/4 Size Helicore Orchestral Upright Bass Strings, you'll get a really good punch.
Indeed it is. I've had the double bass about 15 years and have the matching cello. I've wanted one scince I first saw them when they came out originally in the 90s. Great instruments.
@@UkuleleWales The Electric Bass was originally made to replace the Upright Bass because it's easier to carry, & also it has more punch as the Double Bass is acoustically compromised like the Viola (i.e. the body has been scaled down to make it more playable so it's smaller than optimum for those low notes).
You can use XT coated GS Mini Bass Strings on the Bass Ukuleles as Metal Wound strings cause they're Nylon wound in Phosphor Bronze. The ball ends make restringing a snap.
I've seen them but haven't tried them. Thanks for the great info.
Good demo!
Thanks 😊
Ibanez now makes the UB804 which sounds like an Amplified Upright Bass when plugged into the amp due to that Piezo Pickup
Interesting, Thanks
Fantastic comparison of range of tones from different basses. Must be influenced somewhat by settings on each bass, but great display of different tools for different jobs. Still impressed by the U-basses. Obviously best with your workhorse fretless corvette!
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed. yes, totally agree, even with all settings as flat as possible, instruments will ultimately sound different, different amps, recording etc. Love my fretless work horse, just lush to play.
It is easy to hear the difference between rubber strings, round wound strings and flat wound strings. I prefer the flat wounds. I changed the strings of my Kala Journeyman to flat wound strings from Gallistrings.
I'm also a flatwound fan and may well look to change the strings at some point, Thanks for the tip about Gallistrings.
I agree. It is quite easy to recognise the string noises that emanate from the rubber-stringed instruments. I both like them and sometimes dislike them for that reason. Araknalam, did the flatwounds push your u-bass in the direction of sounding like a straight-forward electric bass? Some may actually like that I suppose. I do think the flats sound cleaner and nicer to play. But I took up the uke to have an old-school, jazz sounding bass. So wouldn't want to lose that sound completely. If you ever read this: do you think you can still get something like that more old school jazz sound with the Galli flats on your Journeyman bass? Or did you simply leave the whole "upright" sound thing behind with the change of strings?
Wow! great! thank you! so happy to see interesting people! Nice to meet you :)
Thanks and welcome Areil, hope you enjoy the videos and please feel free to make more lovely comments. :-)
What causes the sticky sound on the ukes? Is that the rubber strings? The sparkle Kala doesn’t seem to have that nor the Warwicks. Thanks
Some of the rubber strings can sound quite sticky, generally the cheaper ones. The sparkly Kala as round wound strings and the Warwicks have metal strings so again sound very different. Some of the other Aquila bass strings don’t sound “sticky” at all eg. Thunderbrowns and Thunderblacks. 👍
@@UkuleleWales Thanks. Happy Holidays!
That Ovangkol $$ sounds amazing. plenty of 'Warwick Growl'™
Thanks Chris, yes it is an absolute beast and definitely has the growl!
I really like the sound of the Daisy Rock.
It's a pretty little thing but has massive neck-dive so not so nice to play.
The Kala bass is most likely to a real bass guitar.I like it.
Can you tell me are you used a real bass amp?
Yes I use a bass amp, the Warwick CCL 250 watts. Kala have now brought out a new solid body mini bass even more like a bass guitar with magnetic pickups. 👍
@@UkuleleWales That bass sounds great.I want to buy one,but sadly.Threre is no dealer in Hong Kong and the postage is too expensive.
The bass guitars sound much cleaner than the ukes. Do you think this may be modified with different amp settings? I'm a bit disappointed with that extra noise. I am thinking about starting on a bass and I would much rather play a uke bass, as I love my regular ukes so much. Well, maybe I will try a cheap one first...
Fair comments there. This was made a while ago and the audio on my videos has definitely improved so it might be worth you checking out some of my more recent bass uke videos and hopefully you’ll notice the bass ukes sounding better. Also, the metal strings / magnetic pick ups do have a very different sound compared to the rubber strings and piezo pickups, not necessarily better but certainly different. 👍
I love playing the bass with the rubber strings because they don’t hurt my fingers. I’m up there in age and I’m just playing the bass now my only problem is the ringing. is there also a bass guitar electric? With rubber strings.
Totally understand the strings are much easier on the fingers. There is a slightly larger 25” scale bass made by Goldtone. I don’t know of any full scale basses with the rubber strings sorry.
Thanks!
Thank You so much for the support. Very much appreciated.
Wonderful and wonderful
Thanks, glad you enjoyed.
Love the Dbass, and the Nik West. The Daisy Rock has a much lighter sound. Great comparison xx
Thanks Sha, I don't play the double bass much these days but had a 13 piece electric string orch with all matching bridge instruments. The Nik west, well I just love. I really like the sound of the Daisy Rock but it's a bugger to play! Hope you and family are all keeping well. xx
Great video! Please could you list the strings used on each instrument?
The bass I really really want doesn't exist yet. I want a mini upright bass strung with ubass strings. Would be very cute. However these don't appear to exist yet so I'm trying to work out how to make one, and making an upright bass isn't the easiest thing in the world.
Love the idea of a mini upright with ubass strings. I've played many pog or stick basses but not a real mini double bass - 1/4 is the smallest I have and that has "normal" bass strings..
On bass guitars I use Rotosound
On double bass I use D'Addario
California U-Bass has Kala roundwound strings on it
The other bass ukuleles are all Aquila Thunderguts
Hope this helps.
@@UkuleleWales Thanks! I'll try to work out how to make a mini bass...
@@almarstar Maybe start with a short scale guitar, 23 or 24 inches? Or an electric cello?
Ye I have a Austin P bass made in korea and it is also massively heavy but i'm a very big guy so it's not so bad for me. I think it's more than 5 kilos sounds great though action is a bit high though.
I do love the P bass too and if the weight is no problems it is great to play. Have you tried to lower the action? May just be adjustig the bridge.
@@UkuleleWales Yeah ive got it as low as i can go currently without buzz, I think teh frets are just too worn in some spots to have it as low as id like. But it's perfectly playable.
my favorite tone was the fretless warwick. I've thought about getting cheap ukulele basses, but I think I'm going to get a short scale acoustic bass.
It is an awesome bass, my workhorse bass for gigging. I have looked at a short scale but I think I'll stick with full bass and bass uke, it's confusing enough remember the scale! Thanks Jason
@@UkuleleWales Thank you for replying!
Very cool! For the most part I got them correct. 👍🏽
Thank You and glad you enjoyed "playing". Well done ;-)
i think for my first bass i go with the Harley Benton Beatbass with flatwounds
i just love the vilion shape basses and its also shortscale which sould it make i bit easier to learn for me
The violin basses look fab and yes, flatwounds sound fantastic. Let me know when you get one and what you think of it.
So my ears are new to the sound of basses but what I could recognize was the sound of the thick white strings (don't know the material).
The thing I don’t understand is what makes the difference between fretted and fretless basses? The only thing I can imagine is that it needs more experience to grab the correct note (tone) as I don't have frets that show me where it should be. Is there any other main difference between the two?
Great question and well done on hearing the rubber / polyurethane (white strings). The fretted instruments have raised frets so basically if you playing within the fret you will be in tune whereas on a fretless, you need to play in the right spot (normally on the line if there is one) and there is a lot less room for error. Listening and reacting if you hear yourself out of tune is the main difference actually playing fretless.
@@UkuleleWales Thank you for your answer. In the meantime I ordered a used u-bass - Kala Exotic Mahagony. And then I will follow all of your bass tutorial. Looking very much forward to these lessons. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I listened through my bluetooth headphones and was totally surprised by how well the bass ukes compared! I may have missed it, but did you play all of the basses through the same amp? I’d never have predicted it, but I actually think your Kala fretless u-bass gives the double bass some competition. l loved the sound of your Warwicks (specifically the ones with roundwounds), but YIPES--I'd prefer never to have to tote all that weight! U-basses for health and happiness, all the way! Burning question: What is the purpose of the wrap thingie on Nic’s headstock and over the nut? It's not a tennis wrist/sweat band, is it? Ha ha! And thank you for an absolutely fascinating demonstration!
Thanks Jules, yes they really need to be heard on good headphones or decent speakers to really appreciate them. The weight on the Warwicks....... they are stunning to play, not so much carrying around! LOL
The wrap thing is called a Fretwrap and dampen the sound of open ringing strings a bit. I do actually have a Nik West one on order but the one in the vid is just normal purple. I think I use small for bass ukes.
gruvgear.com/products/fretwraps
@@UkuleleWales Thanks for explaining The Thingie, aka A Fretwrap! I may have to try one on my Journeyman to see if it does anything. 😊
Am I the only one that thought the cheap pink eBay one sounded the best?!
"Pink" is very often my go to bass as I agree, a great sound and even better now I have changed the strings to Thunder Blacks.
Your two purple bass ukuleles I think sound better than the acoustic-bodied bass ukuleles. The Kala sounds better than the Horse. The Nick West is really nice. There is a slight difference between the bass ukuleles and your full-sized basses. You don't play each instrument the same it seems like with the fuller-sized basses you are able to get a cleaner smoother sound also faster than with those big fat strings on the ukulele basses.
Glad you enjoyed and agree, some very different sounds there. it was actually quuite difficult to swap between all the different sizes and scales so quickly so that might also explain some of the differences.
the daisy one looks so ridiculous XD its almost like me when I am drawing a tree and I am like oops it looks like a lollipop rather than tree.. I think same must have happened here.. they couldnt get it to look graceful enough so in their desperate attempt they went for a heart shape but its huge! xD Really contemplating whether or not i need the aklot bass ..
LOL I have to admit, I do like the Heart Daisy Rock bass. Daisy Rock actually made a few different shaped guitars and basses aimed particularly at girls, hence the sparkling colours and different shapes. They were quite popular at the time and not bad overall quality.
@@UkuleleWales Oh right. I know I have no problem people liking what I dont like. Some people try to control what people like but that body on that thing is just too huge for my liking.. then again the wonderful 6 string bass that I got from gear4musics body is not heavy enough so the neck goes down if not held .. Since I started to play ukulele I have reduced the amounts of guitars I have not that they are bad but some are just unplayed .. Its really interesting how a little cute ukulele instrument can change everything around.. And consider myself more of a ukulele player than a guitarist these days! But I dont mind. I just wish had discovered ukuleles before I wanted to get htat and that guitar xD
Thank you: That's so shocking!
Yep, quite an interesting comparison!
You are Marvelous!
Thank You Marcelo.
well, I like Kala fretless and Warwick fretless with flat strings. But, what do you play with all that Warwicks??? Warwick=HMR
Thanks Yuri. The Gold warwick, I won in a competition, the 3 corvettes, one is fretted, one fretless is my working bass and I had custom built and the other fretless is a standard corvette (not $$) and is much light in weight and I'm hoping to have it repainted one day (I bought it as a bargain). Hope that explains. May I ask, what does HMW mean?
@@UkuleleWales HMR = Heavy Metal Rock
@@YuriyZa Thanks. I can be a rock chick sometimes! LOL ;-)
wow taht metal fretted ukelele bass sounded surprisingly like a real bass guitar it threw me off.
It's a very cool sound from it, Thanks.
@@UkuleleWales Hello from the Isle of man also, distant cousins of the welsh! Our language is very similar.
You have the same decibel meter as That Pedal Show. Do you ever hit triple digits with it? (They do.)
It seems from your demos and those of others that the U-bass with roundwound strings is very intolerant of sloppy technique in either hand. Every little finger drag or fret click just jumps out. That's a shame because I really like the tone but I don't like the added noise relative to any of your normal electric basses.
Hi, yes same decibel meter as TPS (love those guys) and yes, I have hit the 103/104 mark very occasionally! Agree, there can be some extra sounds from the the Kala roundwound strings but this isn't someting I often notice. Not my finest playing in this video mind as I was swapping between so many instruments and wasn't really doing any tweaking of tones in between all the basses. Not making excuses, just explaining.
@@UkuleleWales If it was just your video that had this characteristic, I'd accept your explanation. But it's not, _every_ demo I've watched demonstrates the extra noise, no matter who is playing the instrument. If they have clean technique, it mitigates but does not eliminate the problem, but at that point it will fall into the range of noise you'd expect from a P-bass or J-bass.
Please help Rachel, Hartge HD75 or RED SUB BP80 Plus with a Ukulele bass????
Hi, I haven't personally tried either amp but have 2 small Hartke amps that are great. I like the tilt back feature of the Red Sub and a line out (if you ever want to go through a PA) but the Hartke seems to have a better EQ option which might work well for the bass uke. Sorry I can't be more specific but not playing means it's difficult to tell. Personally, if I had to choose on the spot I'd go for the Hartke just because I know the brand and Hartke does have a fairly good reputation for bass gear but that's as far as I can advise. let me know what you go for and what you think of it please.
The bass ukes hold up well. #Ukulele
Yes, one of the reason why I love the bass ukes, they do contest well with the bass guitar and upright bass. 😎
I like dead strings too 😊
So glad it's not just me - love the"THUD"
Ukulele Wales
The Double Bass is Acoustically Compromised like the Viola so the Bass Guitar replaced it
Well the double bass managed well for a few hundred years and in terms os acoustically played, try sitting in a double bass section of 10 basses - you definitely do not need any more. 😉
Inevitable though once electric instruments started to be played the bass electric version would follow soon.
@@UkuleleWales Having 10 Bassists in an Orchestra helped boost the Bass but you'd need more Bassists if you have a String Orchestra or a Double Sized Orchestra
@@UkuleleWales Actually the Electric Bass was originally made to replace the Double Bass because the Double Bass is Acoustically Compromised like the Viola in that it's scaled down far in size from the optimal size that would be appropriate for the low notes, so the Pickups helped work around that issue
@@RockStarOscarStern634 I have played in many many full sized symphony orchestras and you certainly don't need more than 10 double basses, that is more than enough for sound balance.
@@UkuleleWales More than 10 Bassists would be more appropriate for if you have a super big string orchestra.
Oooh not Pooh!👍🤞
I know I shouldn't laugh but your comments did make me laugh. Thank You
Pooh show off 👍
I'm loving this as I know you meant oooooooooooh! LOL :-)
I'm loving this as I know you meant oooooooooooh! LOL :-)
Can you slap it
Which one? Yes, I can slap (I’m not the greatest) but obviously slapping the double bass or rubber string bass ukes is tricky. 😉
Sorry meant Pooh show off (bassist sausage fingers lol)
Oooh predictive text that time👍
The more I read, the more I laughed. Many of us have sausage fingers William, you are not alone.
They each have their own unique and wonderful sounds 😊
Totally agree, loved doing this comparison. 😊